EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING > Blog > Shelter > 20220131 Word of the Week – Shelters
20220131 Word of the Week – Shelters
Word of the Week – Shelters
One of three things will happen after a natural disaster.
A: You will shelter at home, not to be confused with sheltering in place
B: You live in a mandatory evacuation zone. And will evacuate to a safe place to take shelter.
C: You will shelter at home until forced to leave because it is no longer safe to stay there.
IN-HOME
Staying at home is usually the best option. This is because you know the layout of your house and have everything necessary to survive.
PUBLIC SHELTERS
If the need comes to evacuate your home before or during an emergency or disaster, you will need to find shelter.
Your county Office of Emergency Management will have a list of shelters in your community.
Public Emergency shelters come in three flavors.
- General
- Pet Friendly
- Special Needs
To locate an open emergency shelter, text SHELTER, and a Zip Code to 43362.
HOTELS/MOTELS
The closer you are to the affected area, the harder these facilities will be to get into. And they may be closed because they have been affected by the event you are facing. Do you have a major hotel membership card? It might help get your foot in the door.
Other options to find a hotel room are cellphone applications like Airbnb or, Booking.com
FRIENDS AND RELATIVES INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE AFFECTED AREA
It is wise to preposition your supplies. If you know you are going to a relative or a friend. Make arrangements to drop supplies for future use. Then, you can make a reciprocal agreement for them to shelter at your place.
CHURCHES
Your church will probably have a disaster plan put in place. If you’re a church member, speak with your pastor or priest to determine whether they have a built-in home host program or have any other types of facilities, supplies, or resources available if you cannot stay in your home.
HOME HOST PROGRAMS
Home host programs will need to be coordinated in advance.
Groups or organizations within a community manage home host programs. They can be churches, businesses, civic organizations, etc. The home host program provides people an opportunity to shelter in a more comfortable place. It also frees up beds and cots in public shelters.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Special considerations are exactly that special considerations. If you have somebody in your group or your family that requires special care, you must preplan how to provide this care before needing to do it.
PETS
Pets probably will not be allowed within most shelters, though there are some pet-friendly shelters. Contact your local city oy County Office of Emergency Management for availability. You may need to be pre-registered to use them. If you have a service animal, you will need papers proving it.
RETURNING HOME
Return risks. There may be risks of returning home. A broad range of possibilities includes the collapse of the infrastructure: damaged or destroyed roads, bridges, and causeways, downed powerlines, and collapsed buildings.
PREPLANNING
Preplanning is a necessity before sheltering is needed. It is better to make plans and not use them than need a plan and not have one.
Till next time
“Be Safe”
P.S. For more information on SHELTERING get your copy of FAMILY URBAN DISASTER PLANNING here.
